Apparatus for carrying construction materials

ABSTRACT

A system for carrying construction materials for construction of a multi-level building includes an elongated stackable container having two identical separable sections spliced together in use, pairs of male and female coupling members adapted for engagement with complementary coupling members on adjacent like containers to facilitate stacking thereof, and retaining members for further limiting movement of the containers in a stack of containers with respect to one another. A support base having like coupling members and retaining members is also provided to accommodate several stacks of containers thereon for storage or transportation. Guide shoes having C-shaped guide bearing collars may be detachably mounted on the container for cooperation respectively with vertical guide rails spaced from the associated building, positively to guide the container during raising and lowering thereof by standard hoist means which is positioned to exert on the container a horizontal force component directed toward the building to urge the guide collars into engagement with the guide rails.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,830,380 Spencer [4 Aug. 20, 1974 APPARATUS FOR CARRYING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Primary ExaminerFrank E. Werner Attorney, Agent, or FirmLester N. Arnold [75] Inventor: Owen C. Spencer, Blue Island, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Metropolitan Chicago Baptist 57] ABSTRACT I Assoclanon Broadvlew A system for carrying construction materials for con- [22] Filed: June 5, 1972 struction of a multi-level building includes an elongated stackable container having two identical separa- [211 Appl' 259995 ble sections spliced together in use, pairs of male and female coupling members adapted for engagement [52] U.S. Cl 214/105 R, 220/l.5, 220/4 R, with complementary coupling members on adjacent 220/97 R, 294/67 D like containers to facilitate stacking thereof, and re- [51] Int. Cl. B65g 1/14 taining members for further limiting movement of the [58] Field of Search. 214/ 10.5 R; 294/67 D, 67 DA, containers in a stack of containers with respect to one 294/67 DB, 67 DC, 67 DD; 220/ 1.5, 4 R, 97 another. A support base having like coupling members R and retaining members is also provided to accommodate several stacks of containers thereon for storage [56] References Cited or transportation. Guide shoes having C-shaped guide UNITED STATES PATENTS bearing collars may be detachably mounted on the 2720 996 /1955 Anderson 220 container for cooperation respectively with vertical 3ZO28I186 4/1962 Skubic ....IIIIIIIII II1294/67 i) guide rails Spaced from the assqciated bulldmg, 3,083,670 4/1963 Haflander et 214/105 x tively to guide the container durmg raising and lower- 3,386,600 6/1968 Betjemann t. 214/ R g thereof y Standard hoist means which is P 3,586,178 6/1971 Zurheide et al 214/ R tioned to exert on the container a horizontal force FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS component directed toward the building to urge the guide collars into engagement with the guide rails. 263,577 9/1964 Australla 220/l.5 231,894 6/1963 Austn'a 294/67 1) 5 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures 155 m 2 '25 'ilBO 1248 I II;

-1 1 I Fly 7 r ,12411 Pmmin 3.830.380 SHEET 2 0F 3 mmm;

This invention relates to apparatus for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site and for lifting the construction materials to the various levels of a multi-level building under construction.

More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus for carrying elongated construction materials such as steel reinforcing rods, lumber and the like at a construction site.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a system which includes a novel support pallet or base for mounting on a vehicle or a stationary support surface, and a novel container for construction materials, the container and the support base each being provided with coupling and retaining members to facilitate stacking a number of said containers on said base. The system also includes guide mechanisms for use in cooperation with a suitable hoist for facilitating the hoisting of said containers up the outside of the associated building under construction.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a container for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site and adapted to be coupled to associated like containers to form a stack of containers, the container comprising a receptacle for accommodating construction materials therein, coupling structures carried by the receptacle adjacent to the opposite ends thereof for coupling engagement respectively with corresponding coupling structures on an associated like container when the associated container and the receptacle are stacked one on top of the other for preventing longitudinal displacement of the receptacle with respect to the associated container, and retaining members carried by the receptacle intermediate the ends thereof for engagement with the like associated container when the associated container is stacked on top of the receptacle for preventing lateral displacement and deflection of the receptacle with respect to the associated container.

It is another object of the invention to provide a sectional container for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site, the container comprising two container sections each having an open end, the container sections being disposed in use in a working configuration in longitudinal alignment with each other and with the open ends of the sections abutting each other, and splicing means releasably interconnecting the open ends of each of the container sections in the workingconfiguration thereof and cooperating therewith to form a rigid container for accommodating construction materials therein, the container sections being separable upon release of the splicing means for facilitating transportation and storage of the container sections when not in use.

In connection with the foregoing objects, it is another object of this invention to provide a sectional container of the type set forth which is adapted to be coupled to associated like containers to form a stack of sectional containers.

It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus for use at a construction site of a muIti-level building for carrying construction materials to and from the various levels thereof, the apparatus comprising vertically extending guide rail means mounted on the associated building and spaced 3 predetermined distance outwardly therefrom, a container for accommodating construction materials therein, guide shoe means mounted on the container and constructed and arranged for sliding engagement with the guide rail means freely to accommodate vertical movement of the container while limiting horizontal movement thereof, and hoist means mounted on the associated building for coupling to the container to effect raising and lowering thereof, the hoist means being so positioned with respect to the container as to exert thereon a force having a horizontal component urging the guide shoe means firmly into engagement with the guide rail means, whereby the guide shoe means and the guide rail means cooperate positively to guide the container during the raising and lowering thereof by the hoist means.

In connection with the foregoing object, still another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of the type set forth which includes a pair of spaced-apart vertically extending guide rails and a pair of guide shoes mounted on the container for cooperation respectively with the guide rails, each of the guide shoes including a guide collar having friction-reducing means thereon, and constructed and arranged to be disposed in use in an encompassing relationship with a corresponding one of the guide rails for sliding engagement therewith freely to accommodate vertical movement of the container while preventing horizontal movement of the container except in a direction away from the guide rails and normal to the plane defined thereby.

In connection with the foregoing object, it is still another objeet of the invention to provide apparatus of the type set forth, wherein the container is a sectional container of the type set forth adapted to be coupled to associated like containers to form a stack of containers.

It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site, the apparatus comprising a support base, a plurality of base coupling members carried by the support base adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, a plurality of first retaining members carried by the support base intermediate the ends thereof, and a plurality of containers disposable in a stacked configuration substantially in vertical alignment with the support base, each of the containers including a receptacle for accommodating construction materials therein and two coupling structures and two second retaining members, the coupling structures being respectively carried by the receptacle adjacent the opposite ends thereof, the second retaining members being respectively intermediate the ends thereof for engagement with an adjacent container when the containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, each of the coupling structures including an upper coupling member identical to one of the base coupling members and a lower coupling member complementary to the first coupling members and base coupling members for coupling engagement therewith when the containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, the containers in the stacked configuration thereof having the lower coupling members on the bottom container respectively disposed in coupling engagement with corresponding ones of the base coupling members and having the upper coupling members on each container respectively disposed in coupling engagement with the lower coupling members of the immediately overlying containers thereby to prevent longitudinal displacement of the containers with respect to one another and with respect to the support base, the containers in the stacked configuration thereof having the bottom container disposed in engagement with the first retaining members and having the second retaining members of each container disposed in engagement with the immediately overlying container thereby to prevent lateral displacement and deflection of the containers with respect to one another and with respect to the support base, whereby the coupling members and the retaining members cooperate to prevent accidental unstacking of the containers by horizontal forces while accommodating vertical unstacking of the containers.

In connection with the foregoing object, it is yet another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the type set forth, and further including hoist means to effect raising and lowering of the containers between the support base and the various levels of the associated building, and guide rail means and guide shoe means cooperating to facilitate the guiding of the containers during the raising and lowering thereof.

In connection with the foregoing object, still another object of the invention is to provide apparatusof the type set forth, wherein each of the containers is a sectional container of the type set forth.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts of the apparatus whereby the above-outlined and additional operating features thereof are attained.

The invention both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a support base having stacked thereon several stacks of containers all constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention, and illustrating the manner of stacking and unstacking the containers;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of one of the containers of the present invention with portions thereof broken away to more clearly show the internal structure thereof, the container being shown mounted upon a material table for movement about the construction site;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of one of the reinforcing pads of the container illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the junction between the bottom layers of the two sections of the container illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragentary side elevational view of the juncture between the top rails of the container sections illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5A is a view in vertical section taken along the line SA-SA in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the container of the present invention, and illustrating the guide and hoist apparatus for hoisting the container along the outside of the associated building;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of one of the guide shoes illustrated in FIG. 6, with a portion of the top plate of the guide shoe broken away to more clearly show the internal construction thereof;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of one of the guide shoes shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a enlarged side elevational view of one of the guide shoes shown in FIG. 6, illustrated in the released condition thereof;

FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the guide shoe illustrated in FIG. 9, with portions of the top plate broken away more clearly to show the lock mechanism;

and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view in vertical section taken along the line 11-1 1 in FIG. 10 and showing the guide shoe latched in the coupling condition thereof.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings, there is illustrated a carrier or container for construction materials, generally designated by the numeral 100, the container comprising two container sections respectively designated 1 10A and 1 1013. The container sections 1 10A and 1108 are identical in construction, wherefore the detailed construction of any one of these container sections will be described, like reference numerals being assigned to like parts of the two container sections A and 1103. In FIG. 2 of the drawings, postscripts A have been given to all of the reference numbers designating the parts of the container section 110A while postscripts B have been given to the reference numbers designating the various parts of the container section 1108.

Each container section 110 includes a plurality of longitudinally extending hollow tubular frame members, substantially square in transverse cross-section, including a pair of laterally spaced-apart parallel top side rails 111 and a pair of laterally spaced-apart parallel bottom side rails 112, respectively disposed in use in vertical alignment with the top side rails 111. Each of the side rails 1 1 1 and 1 12 is provided with a plurality of vertically extending openings 1 13 therethrough adjacent to one end thereof for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter. The bottom side rails 112 are interconnected at longitudinally spaced-apart points therealong by a plurality of bottom cross-bars 114 extending substantially normal to the side rails 112 and secured to the inner surfaces thereof as by welding. Disposed between two adjacent ones of these crossbars 114 is a reinforcing pad, generally designated by the numeral 115, and including a plurality of laterally spaced-part and longitudinally extending bars 116, each having the opposite ends thereof respectively secured to the inner surfaces of the two crossbars 114 as by welding, and a plurality of longitudinally spacedapart and transversely extending bars 1 17 overlying the bars 116 and spanning the bottom side rails 112, the opposite ends of each of the bars 117 being respectively secured to the upper surfaces of the bottom side rails 112 as by welding. The top rails 111 are interconnected at one end thereof by an end rail 118 and, similarly, the bottom rails 112 are interconnected at the same end thereof by another end rail 118.

The bottom side rails 112 are secured together at the other end thereof by a transversely extending angle iron generally designated by the numeral 120, which includes a horizontal flange 121 and a vertical flange 122 and has the opposite ends thereof respectively secured to the inner surfaces of the bottom rails 112, as by welding. Each of the top side rails 111 is connected to the corresponding bottom side rail 112 at longitudinally spaced-apart points therealong by a plurality of vertical posts 123, the upper end of each post 123 being welded to the under side of the top side rail 11] and the bottom end of each post 123 being welded to the upper surface of the bottom side rail 112. Similarly, the end rails 118 are interconnected at the opposite ends thereof by two vertical end posts 129 which are constructed and arranged substantially identically with the vertical posts 123. Secured to the outer surfaces of the end rails 118 and the vertical end posts 129 and covering the adjacent end of the container section 110 is a flat rectangular end plate 124 for closing that end of the container section.

Respectively secured to the inner surfaces of the top side rails 111 intermediate the ends thereof are two generally rectangular retaining members 125, each extending vertically upwardly a predetermined distance above the top surface of the top side rails 111 for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter.

In addition to the vertical posts 123, diagonal struts 126 also interconnect the top and bottom side rails 111 and 112 for stiffening the frame of the container section 110. Disposed within the container section 110 and completely covering the area between the bottom side rails 112 and the area between each top side rail 111 and the corresponding bottom rail 112 is a wire mesh screen 127, secured to the side rails 111 and 112 by any suitable means. The portion of the wire mesh screen overlying the reinforcing pad 115 is provided with four openings 128 therein, the openings 128 being respectively disposed at the outer junctures of the endmost longitudinal bars 116 and the endmost transverse bars 117 for a purpose which will be more fully described below.

Secured to the outer surface of the end plate 124 as by welding is a coupling structure, generally designated by the numeral 130, and including an outer hollow tubular member 131 and an inner hollow tubular member 132. Each of the tubular members 131 and 132 is substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section, the inner tubular member 132 being so dimensioned as to be telescopically received within the upper end of the outer tubular member 131 and fixedly secured thereto and projecting a predetermined distance above the upper end thereof. The upper edge of the outer tubular member 131 cooperates with the portion of the inner tubular member 132 projecting thereabove to define a lip or shoulder 133. Preferably, the outer tubular member 131 extends vertically the entire width of the end plate 124, with the inner tubular member 132 projecting upwardly above the upper surface of the adjacent end rail 118. Secured to the lower surface of each of the bottom side rails 112 at longitudinally spaced-apart points therealong are a plurality of foot pads 134 to provide a clearance beneath the bottom side rails 112 when the container section 110 is resting upon an underlying support surface.

In use, the container sections 110A and 110B are arranged with the open ends thereof facing each other, and with the vertical flanges 122 of the end angle irons 120 abutting each other, and with the free ends of the side rails 111 and 112 disposed in abutting relationship with each other. Four splice bars 135 are provided for joining the container sections 110A and 1103 together. More particularly, each of the splice bars 135 is prefer ably a hollow tubular member shaped complementary to the upper and lower side rails 111 and 112 and adapted to be telescopically received in the open ends thereof. Thus, each of the splice bars 135 has one end thereof received in one of the side rails 111 or 112 on one container section with the other end thereof received in the corresponding side rail of the other container section. Each of the splice bars 135 has a plurality of openings therethrough positioned for alignment with the openings 113 in the side rails 111 and 112 for receiving therethrough bolts 137 securely to hold the container sections 110A and 1108 together and preventing separation thereof. Preferably, cotter pins 138 will be received in complementary openings through the bolts 137 to prevent accidental removal thereof from the side rails and splice bars.

It will thus be appreciated that the container sections 110A and 110B may be joined to form the container 100, which may have a length sufficient to accommodate therein very long structural material such as reinforcing rods, lumber or the like. More particularly, in the preferred embodiment of this invention, the container 101) has a length of approximately 31 feet to accommodate therein standard 30 foot steel reinforcing rods. On the other hand, the sectional construction of the container permits the container sections A and 110B to be separated and overlapped when not in use to facilitate storage and transportation thereof.

lt is a significant feature of the present invention that the container 100 is adapted to be stacked together like containers to form a stable stack which resists accidental unstacking. In order to take advantage of this feature, there is preferably provided a support base or pallet, generally designated by the numeral 140, for installation on the bed 141 of a vehicle such as a flat bed truck, or on a suitable stationary support surface for facilitating the transportation and storage of stacks of the containers 100. The base includes a pair of side rails l42interconnected to the opposite ends thereof by a pair of end rails 143, each of the rails 142 and 143 preferably being a hollow tubular member substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section, the rails 142 and 143 being interconnected as by welding. Extending transversely between the side rails 142 are a plurality of parallel longitudinally spaced-apart cross rails 144, each having the opposite ends thereof respectively secured to the side rails 142 as by welding.

Secured to the outer surfaces of each of the end rails 143 as by welding at transversely spaced-apart points therealong are a plurality of coupling structures, each generally designated by the numeral 145 and including a hollow outer tubular member 146 and a hollow inner tubular member 147. Each of the tubular members 146 and 147 is substantially rectangular in transverse crosssection, the inner tubular member 147 being dimensioned to be received telescopically within the upper end of the outer tubular member 146 and fixedly secured thereto and projecting upwardly thereabove a predetermined distance. Preferably, the outer tubular member 146 extends vertically the entire thickness of the associated end rail 143, the tubular members 146 and 147 respectively being identical in cross-sectional shape and dimensions to the tubular members 131 and 132 on the container 100. The upper edge of the outer tubular members 146 cooperates with the portion of the inner tubular member 147 projecting thereabove to form a lip or shoulder 148. Fixedly secured to the outer surfaces of each of the side rails 142 at longitudinally spaced-apart points therealong are a plurality of generally rectangular retaining members 149, each projecting a predetermined distance above the upper surface of the associated side rail 142.

In use, a container 100 may be placed upon the base or pallet 140 with the coupling structures 130 of the container 100 respectively being disposed in vertical alignment with the coupling structures 145 on the base 140. More particularly, as the container 100 is lowered into position on the base 140, the inner tubular members 147 are respectively telescopically received in the further preventing lateral displacement and deflection of the container therein.

In like manner, it will be readily understood that a plurality of the containers 100 may be stacked one on top of the other upon the base 140. More particularly, in such a stack of containers 100, the inner tubular member 132 of the coupling structures 130 are respectively received telescopically in the outer tubular members 131 of the immediately overlying container for secureiy coupling all the containers together and preventing lateral displacement thereof with respect to one another. In addition, it will be understood that when the containers are thus stacked one on top of the other, the bottom side rails 112 of each of the containers 100, will be respectively disposed in engagement with the corresponding top side rails 111 and the retaining members 125 of the immediately underlying container 100, the retaining members 125 cooperating with the bottom side rails 112 of the adjacent container to further prevent lateral displacement and deflection of the: containers 100 with respect to one another.

As is illustrated in FIG. 1, the base 140 there shown is provided with four pairs of coupling structures 145 for thereby accommodating four separate stacks of containers 100 thereon. it will, of course, be understood that the base 140 may be made of any desired dimensions for accommodating thereon any desired number of stacks of containers having any desired size and shape. Furthermore, while in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the base 140 is shown fixedly secured to an underlying support surface 141, such as a truck bed, it will be appreciated the base 141 could also be portable for accommodating movement of the entire base or pallet 140 together with the containers 100 stacked thereon. As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the base 140 is fixedly secured to the support surface 141, the containers 100 are removed vertically therefrom, preferably by suitable hoist means such as a crane, derrick or the like.

Referring now also to FIGS. 6 through 11 of the drawings, such a hoist mechanism is generally designated by the numeral 150, the hoist mechanism 150 including a boom 151 having a sheave 153 rotatably mounted at the distal end thereof for accommodating therein a cable 155. Normally, the boom 151 will be pivotally secured to the outer wall 101 of a building under construction, such as by mounting on one of the upright pillars of the building, and is adapted to be pivoted in a vertical plane as well as inwardly and outwardly of the building wall 101. Typically, the cable 155 is secured at one end thereof to a suitable hoist drive mechanism (not shown), the other end of the cable 155 being secured to a swivel ball 154 having a hook 157 connected thereto.

In hoisting the elongated containers 100, a pair of spreaders 156 are secured to the hook 157, each of the spreaders 156 preferably having another hook 157 at the other end thereof for hooking through a loop 159 at one end of a choker 158. Preferably, the choker 158 is looped around the reinforcing rods or other material carried in the container and is looped through a diagonally opposed pair of the openings 128 in the wire mesh screen 127 and beneath the reinforcing pad 115, as is best illustrated in FIG. 6. As was indicated above, the clearance beneath the reinforcing pad 1 15 afforded by the foot pads 134 facilitates the threading of the choker 158 around the reinforcing pad and the contents of the container 100.

While the containers 100 may be stacked and unstacked in an obvious manner with the use of this hoist apparatus 150, it is another important feature of the present invention to provide a unique guide mechanism for facilitating the hoisting of the containers 100 to the various levels of a multi-level building along the outside thereof. More particularly, referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is provided a guide rail assembly, generally designated by the numeral 160, for attachment to the pillars 161 of the building. For purposes of illustration, the pillars 161 are shown as H-beams, the outer flanges thereof being designated by the numeral 162. The guide rail 160 includes a mounting clip 163 for attachment to the outer flange 162 of the H-beam 161 by suitable means such as welding, bolts, rivets or the like, the clip 163 having fixedly secured thereto a stand-off member 164 extending horizontally outwardly of the beam flange 162 substantially normal thereto for a predetermined distance.

Preferably, a plurality of clips 163 and stand-offs 164 are arranged at vertically spaced-apart points along the pillar 164 to the desired height on the building. These stand-off members 164 are interconnected at the outer ends thereof by a vertically extending guide rail 165, the guide rail 165 preferably being a hollow tubular steel pipe substantially circular in transverse crosssection and secured to the stand-off members 164 as by welding. As is indicated in FIG. 6, there is preferably provided a pair of guide rails 165 spaced apart a predetermined distance slightly less than the length of the container 100, although it will be understood that additional guide rails 165 may be used if desired in case of extremely long containers.

For each of the guide rails 165 there is provided a guide shoe assembly, which is generally designated by the numeral 170, for attachment to the container 100. The guide shoe includes a flat vertically extending main plate 171 having secured as by welding to the outer surface thereof a top bracket 172 which is generally U-shaped in transverse cross-section and is dimensioned to be received over one of the top side rails 111 of the container 100. A bottom bracket 173, similar to the top bracket 172, is also provided for coupling to the corresponding bottom rail 112 of the container 100. The bottom bracket 173 is provided with a pair of threaded studs 174 extending rearwardly therefrom and adapted to be respectively received through complementary elongated vertical slots 175 in the main plate 171 and secured thereto by suitable nuts and washers, as is best illustrated in FIG. 10. Thus, it will be appreciated that while the top bracket 172 is fixedly secured to the main plate 171, the bottom bracket 173 is movable with respect thereto.

Secured to the main plate 171 along the top edge thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom is a generally trapezoidal-shaped top plate 176 having side flanges 117 integral therewith and extending vertically downwardly therefrom along the opposite side edges thereof. In like manner, a bottom plate 178, substantially identical to the top plate 176, is secured to the main plate 171 along the bottom edge thereof and extends rearwardly therefrom, the bottom plate 178 having upwardly extending side flanges 179 along with the opposite side edges thereof. Each of the top and bottom plates 176 and 178 has formed in the rear end thereof a generally U-shaped recess 193, the plates 176 and 178 being interconnected by three vertically extending and laterally spaced-apart brace members 192 respectively disposed at the open ends and at the bottom of the U-shaped recess 193.

Secured to the rear surface of the main plate 171 and coupled to the bottom bracket 173 is a latch mechanism, generally designated by the numeral 180, for facilitating movement of the bottom bracket 173 with respect to the main plate 171. More particularly, the latch mechanism includes a bottom bracket stud 181 fixedly secured to the bottom bracket 173 between the studs 174 and extending rearwardly through a complementary vertically elongated slot 182 in the main plate 171. Pivotally secured to the stud 181 adjacent the inner end thereof by a connecting pin 184 is a pair of link members 183, the opposite ends of the link members 183 being pivotally connected by a connecting pin 186 to a pair of link members 185, intermediate the ends thereof. Preferably, the link members 183 straddle the link members 185, as is best illustrated in FIG. 10. The link members 185 are pivotally connected at one end thereof by means of a connecting pin 188 to a main plate stud 187, which is fixedly secured to the rear surface of the main plate 171 and extends a short distance rearwardly therefrom immediately above the elongated slot 182. Fixedly secured to the link members 185 at the other end thereof is a handle 189 for manipulating the latch mechanism 180.

As can readily be appreciated from the drawings, when the latch mechanism 180 is disposed in the position illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the brackets 172 and 173 will be disposed in a released condition, with the vertical spacing therebetween sufficient to accommodate insertion of the guide shoe assembly 170 over the container side rails 111 and 112 for removal of the guide shoe assembly 170 therefrom. When the handle 189 is moved upwardly, as viewed in FIG. 9, the link members 183, the stud 181 and the bottom bracket 173 are also carried upwardly with respect to the main plate 171 for closing the gap between the top and bottom brackets 172 and 173. When the handle 189 has been pivoted upwardly all the way to the position illustrated in FIG. 11, the top and bottom bracket 172 and 173 will have been moved to a coupling condition shown in FIG. 11 for firmly engaging the side rails 11] and 112 of the container 100 and securely attaching the guide shoe assembly 170 thereto. Preferably, a retaining bead or projection 191 is provided on the inner surface of the top plate 171 for retaining the handle 189 in the coupling condition illustrated in FIG. 11 and preventing accidental disengagement of the guide shoe assembly 170 from the container 100.

Secured to each guide shoe 170 at the rear end thereof is a guide collar, generally designated by the numeral 190. The guide collar 190 includes a plurality of vertically spaced-apart generally C-shaped bearing straps 194, the top and bottom straps 194 being respectively disposed in alignment with the top and bottom plates 176 and 178 and received in complementary recesses 193 therein, while the intermediate strap 194 is disposed substantially midway between the top and bottom straps 194 and between the vertical braces 192. Preferably, the straps 194 are fixedly secured to the vertical braces 192 and the top and bottom plates 176 and 178 by suitable means, such as welding, each of the straps 194 having mounted on the inner surface thereof a plurality of spaced-apart ball bearings 195. The free ends of the straps 194 extend rearwardly beyond the rear ends of the top and bottom plates 17 6 and 178 and substantially in vertical alignment with one another, the vertically aligned ends of the straps 194 being interconnected by a pair of vertically extending rub rails 196, the lateral spacing between the rub rails 196 being slightly greater than the outer diameter of the guide rails 165.

In use, the guide shoe assemblies 170 are attached to the side rails 111 and 112 of the container along one side thereof, in a manner described above, the guide shoe assemblies 170 being so positioned on the container 100 that the guide collars 190 will be spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the distance be- I tween the guide rails 165. Then, by means of the hoist mechanism 150, the container 100 and its contents are swung into the position illustrated in FIG. 6, with the guide rails 165 respectively received within the guide collars 190 and in sliding engagement with the ball bearings 195. The boom 151 is then swung into a position illustrated in FIG. 6, where the sheave 153 is disposed closer to the building than is the container 100. Thus, when the cable is drawn up, the force exerted on the container 100 will have a horizontal component directed inwardly toward the building substantially perpendicular to the plane of the guide rails 165, thereby urging the container 100 inwardly toward the building and holding the guide collars 190 firmly in engagement with the guide rails 165.

It will be appreciated that when the guide shoe assemblies 170 are disposed in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 6, the container 100 is effectively prevented from undergoing horizontal movement, while vertical movement is readily permitted by the lowfriction sliding engagement of the ball bearings 195 with the guide rails 165. More particularly, it will be seen that the guide collars 190 cooperate with the guide rails to prevent horizontal movement of the container 100 in any direction other than directly outwardly away from the building, and movement in this direction is prevented by the inward force exerted on the container 100 by the cable 155. Thus, the guide rail assemblies 160 and the guide shoe assemblies cooperate positively to guide the container 100 during the raising and lowering thereof by the hoist 150.

When the container 100 has been raised to the desired level on the building, the boom 151 is swung outwardly away from the building, thereby urging the container 100 back away from the building and moving the guide collars out of engagement with the guide rails 165. When the guide collars 190 have cleared the guide rails 165, the container 100 may be swung around to a direction substantially perpendicular to the building, at which time the boom may be swung back in for pulling the container 100 inwardly of the building and lowering it onto the floor or onto a suitable carrier such as a material table 105 illustrated in FIG. 2. The material table 105 is provided with wheels 106 to facilitate the movement of the container 100 and its contents about the floor of the building. A preferred embodiment of such a material table is disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 223,l90, filed Feb. 3, i972 and entitled WIRE MESH WORKING APPA- RATUS." Lowering of the container 100 back to the ground after use is accomplished by simply reversing the steps in hoisting the container 100 which were described above.

While in the preferred embodiment, an elongated container 100 has been disclosed for accommodating long structural material such as steel reinforcing rods, it will of course be appreciated that the container 100 may be provided in any desired shape or size for carrying various other types of construction materials. Preferably, the various structural members of the container 100 are all hollow tubular steel members substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section, but it will be appreciated that tubular members of other crosssections could be used, and, similarly, solid members and members made of materials other than steel also could be used if desired.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided a novel system for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site, the system being characterized by simple and economical construction and ease of assembly and use.

More particularly, there has been provided a unique container for carrying construction materials, the container being provided with coupling members for facilitating the stacking of the containers.

in addition, there has been provided a sectional container including a plurality of separable sections for providing extremely long containers in use, while permitting separation of the sections to facilitate storage and transportation thereof when not in use.

In addition, there has been provided novel pallet apparatus for use in cooperation with the stackable containers to facilitate stacking up the containers on any stationary or movable support surface such as a truck bed or other vehicle.

There has also been provided a guide mechanism for use with the container of the present invention positively to guide the container during raising and lowering thereof between various levels of multi-level building by means of standard hoist means.

Finally, there has been provided a system whereby bundles of construction material such as steel reinforcing rods, lumber or the like may be loaded onto containers at the factory, whereupon the containers may readily be stacked on trucks or other vehicles for transportation to a construction site, at which site the containers may be unstacked from the vehicle and either temporarily restacked on the site or immediately individually hoisted to any desired floor of a multi-level building under construction. At the predetermined floor, the entire container may be unloaded onto a wheeled material table which may be easily rolled to the desired work area on the floor for unloading of the construction materials. Thus, it will be appreciated that the handling of the materials which may be extremely heavy is greatly facilitated and may be accomplished with a considerable saving in time and manpower over previously existing methods.

While there have been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site, said apparatus comprising a support base, a plurality of base coupling members carried by said support base adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, a plurality of first retaining members carried by said support base intermediate the ends thereof, and a plurality of containers disposable in a stacked configuration substantially in vertical alignment upon said support base, each of said containers including a receptacle for accommodating construction materials therein and two coupling structures and two second retaining members, said coupling structures being respectively carried by said receptacle adjacent the opposite ends thereof, said second retaining members being respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite sides of said receptacle intermediate the ends thereof for engagement with an adjacent container when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, each of said coupling structures including an upper coupling member identical to one of said base coupling members and a lower coupling member complementary to said first coupling members and said base coupling members for coupling engage ment therewith when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, said containers in the stacked configuration thereof having said lower coupling members on the bottom container respectively disposed in coupling engagement with corresponding ones of said base coupling members and having said upper coupling members on each container respectively disposed in coupling engagement on each container respectively disposed in coupling engagement with said lower coupling members of the immediately overlying containers thereby to prevent longitudinal displacement of said containers with respect to one another and with respect to said support base, said containers in the stacked configuration thereof having the bottom container disposed in engagement with said first retaining members and having said second retaining members of each container disposed in engagement with the immediately overlying container thereby to prevent lateral displacement and deflection of said containers with respect to one another and with respect to said support base, whereby said coupling members and said retaining members cooperate to prevent accidental unstacking of said containers by horizontal forces while accommodating vertical unstacking of said containers.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said receptacles has a box-like configuration substantially rectangular in transverse cross section and including four longitudinally extending side rails respectively defining the four corners of the rectangle, said second retaining members being connected to the upper ones of said side rails along the inner surfaces thereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, said first retaining members being positioned on said base for engagement with the outer surfaces of the lower side rails of the bottom one of said containers for preventing lateral movement of said containers in the stacked configuration thereof with respect to said support base, said second retaining members being positioned for engagement with the inner surfaces of the lower side rails of the immediately overlying container to prevent lateral movement of containers with respect to one another in the stacked configuration thereof.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein said support base is mounted on a vehicle for transportation of a stack of said containers.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein said support base is shaped and dimensioned to accommodate thereon a plurality of stacks of said containers arranged side-by-side.

5. A container for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site and adapted to be coupled to associated like containers upon a support base to form a stack of containers, said associated like con- 14 tainers including an overlying container and an underlying container, said container comprising a receptacle for accommodating construction materials therein and including two coupling structures and two retaining members, said coupling structures being respectively carried by said receptacle adjacent the opposite ends thereof, said retaining members being respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite sides of said receptacle intermediate the ends thereof for engagement with said overlying container when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, said coupling structures including upper coupling members and lower coupling members, said upper coupling members being complementary to lower coupling members of said overlying container and said lower coupling members being complementary to upper coupling members of said underlying container for coupling engagement therewith when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof to prevent longitudinal and lateral displacement of said containers with respect to one another. 

1. Apparatus for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site, said apparatus comprising a support base, a plurality of base coupling members carried by said support base adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, a plurality of first retaining members carried by said support base intermediate the ends thereof, and a plurality of containers disposable in a stacked configuration substantially in vertical alignment upon said support base, each of said containers including a receptacle for accommodating construction materials therein and two coupling structures and two second retaining members, said coupling structures being respectively carried by said receptacle adjacent the opposite ends thereof, said second retaining members being respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite sides of said receptacle intermediate the ends thereof for engagement with an adjacent container when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, each of said coupling structures including an upper coupling member identical to one of said base coupling members and a lower coupling member complementary to said first coupling members and said base coupling members for coupling engagement therewith when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, said containers in the stacked configuration thereof having said lower coupling members on the bottom container respectively disposed in coupling engagement with corresponding ones of said base coupling members and having said upper coupling members on each container respectively disposed in coupling engagement on each container respectively disposed in coupling engagement with said lower coupling members of the immediately overlying containers thereby to prevent longitudinal displacement of said containers with respect to one another and with respect to said support base, said containers in the stacked configuration thereof having the bottom container disposed in engagement with said first retaining members and having said second retaining members of each container disposed in engagement with the immediately overlying container thereby to prevent lateral displacement and deflection of said containers with respect to one another and with respect to said support base, whereby said coupling members and said retaining members cooperate to prevent accidental unstacking of said containers by horizontal forces while accommodating vertical unstacking of said containers.
 2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said receptacles has a box-like configuration substantially rectangular in transverse cross section and including four longitudinally extending side rails respectively defining the four corners of the rectangle, said second retaining members being connected to the upper ones of said side rails along the inner surfaces thereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, said first retaining members being positioned on said base for engagement with the outer surfaces of the lower side rails of the bottom one of said containers for preventing lateral movement of said containers in the stacked configuration thereof with respect to said support base, said second retaining members being positioned for engagement with the inner surfaces of the lower side rails of the immediately overlying container to prevent lateral movement of containers with respect to one another in the stacked configuratiOn thereof.
 3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein said support base is mounted on a vehicle for transportation of a stack of said containers.
 4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1, wherein said support base is shaped and dimensioned to accommodate thereon a plurality of stacks of said containers arranged side-by-side.
 5. A container for carrying construction materials to and about a construction site and adapted to be coupled to associated like containers upon a support base to form a stack of containers, said associated like containers including an overlying container and an underlying container, said container comprising a receptacle for accommodating construction materials therein and including two coupling structures and two retaining members, said coupling structures being respectively carried by said receptacle adjacent the opposite ends thereof, said retaining members being respectively disposed adjacent to the opposite sides of said receptacle intermediate the ends thereof for engagement with said overlying container when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof, said coupling structures including upper coupling members and lower coupling members, said upper coupling members being complementary to lower coupling members of said overlying container and said lower coupling members being complementary to upper coupling members of said underlying container for coupling engagement therewith when said containers are disposed in the stacked configuration thereof to prevent longitudinal and lateral displacement of said containers with respect to one another. 